Author |
Topic |
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 10:20:44
|
He was an aging rock and roll star WIth a burnt out country beat And the children who once cheered his name Now have young 'ins at their own feet
And no one has time For that burnt out rock and roll
But a rock and roll singer will never die As long as the words to his songs are remembered Without the burnt out tear that filled his eye
He build a white crystal canyon To escape the rock revival shows And to dream of a time When just his music brought his highs and his lows
And no one has time For that burnt out rock and roll
But a rock and roll singer will never die As long as the words to his songs are remembered Without the burnt out tear that filled his eye
There was one last late nite TV show The camera missed the gun in his jeans He sang the songs and played the role Then a bullet cut him clean
And no one has time For that burnt out rock and roll
But a rock and roll singer will never die As long as the words to his songs are remembered Without the burnt out tear that filled his eye - - - -
I marvel at how FB turned this song, who's original performance sounds something like Homestar Runner singing with Liberace on the piano. It is truly hard to listen to the Gary Green version (which i bought online from the Smithsonian), yet the FB version rocks. How does he see the glimmer of a gem in this turd of a peformance? I'm not trying to be too critical here, but it took me three passes through the original to get the words, and i think i can never listen to the song again it irks me so much.
-Brian - http://bvsrant.blogspot.com |
|
toeknee
= Cult of Ray =
United Kingdom
281 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 10:25:52
|
Where does this song come from? |
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 10:26:57
|
Its a cover that FB has been doing recently - its a folk song by a man named Gary Green.
-Brian - http://bvsrant.blogspot.com |
|
|
fbc
-= Modulator =-
United Kingdom
4903 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 11:25:18
|
Frank Black's version is better, but that doesn't mean much coming from me. "A haunting piano ballad about the pain and hollowness Gary said he saw behind the eyes of Ricky Nelson and Jerry Lee Lewis. A song of suicide and the emptiness of fame. This is the only recording of Gary playing the piano, though he composed at the piano as often as the guitar", apparantly.
I wonder what went wrong with 'Le Sicilienne' |
|
|
Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 12:15:38
|
Brian and I were just talking last night about FB's knack for seeing what, to me, are completely buried elements of a song and polishing a tarnished rock artifact into a diamond. Anyone ever heard the original Evil Hearted You?
"Now you're officially my woman. Kudos. I can't say I don't envy you." |
|
|
Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 12:55:08
|
I heard the original Evil Hearted You when I was in a waiting room a couple of years ago. I remember being blown away just at the fact I was hearing it in such a place, and I enjoyed the song too. As I recall the singing wasn't my cup o' tea, but the music was good. It sounded pretty close to the way the Pixies did it, but it was hard to hear too clearly over the chatter.
Nothing is ever something. |
|
|
fbc
-= Modulator =-
United Kingdom
4903 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 12:59:47
|
(I've heard it too, reminds me of austin powers) you're both (brian and dean) spot on about Frank having the knack. I really like the original, but what he did with 'Hang On To Your Ego' in my opinion is mind blowing. I've enjoyed so many of his covers like they were his own, I wish he would do more (aswell as write some instrumentals)
And the choice of covers, too. It's been fun. Snake Oil does indeed Rock. And Run...
(edits) |
Edited by - fbc on 10/26/2006 13:01:29 |
|
|
The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
2010 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 13:56:47
|
quote: Originally posted by fbc
Frank Black's version is better
How did you hear it ?
(and it's 'La Sicilienne' btw)
And I agree about Frank's cover being way better than the originals. The perfect exemple is "This is where I belong". The Kinks' version is kinda dull whereas the cover is so energetic ! |
|
|
floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 14:00:44
|
i dig all of his covers, but i think Hang On To Your Ego is the one exception of the covering being better than the o.g.
Do Nothing is the shit though
at least that's what your mom said |
|
|
vilainde
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Niue
7443 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 14:13:57
|
quote: Originally posted by floop
i dig all of his covers, but i think Hang On To Your Ego is the one exception of the covering being better than the o.g.
Add Repo Man to your list of exceptions (though I do like Frank's version too)
Denis
|
|
|
fbc
-= Modulator =-
United Kingdom
4903 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 14:44:29
|
quote: Originally posted by The Holiday Son
How did you hear it ?
(and it's 'La Sicilienne' btw)
it's just a dodgy boot, not a studio version.
(and thanks) |
|
|
The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
2010 Posts |
Posted - 10/26/2006 : 20:33:55
|
Was the boot posted somewhere ? Cause if it was, I completely missed it ! |
|
|
fbc
-= Modulator =-
United Kingdom
4903 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2006 : 02:01:51
|
oui, my inbox. |
|
|
The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
2010 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2006 : 07:05:01
|
Mmmm, any chance it might surface elsewhere (wink wink nudge nudge !) ? |
|
|
Sam
= Cult of Ray =
Ireland
514 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2006 : 07:18:55
|
Looking forward to hearing that burnt rock n roll tune.
Yes FB picks great covers, really love "somethings i can't get used to". Really energetic song. Plus "do nothing" is great kinda 3 piece punk vibe.
Hadn't thought of "evil hearted you" in ages, love that song. Not to mention "cecilia ann" which is a stormer.
I recently heard the original 666 by larry norman thanks to this kick ass site, and it blew me away. I listened to it 3 times in a row and love the arrangement and vocals. But i love the FB and C's version from their s/t album too.
The list of his great covers is long, ssmvg, breathless, black rider, duke of earl, better things etc etc
|
|
|
Erebus
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1834 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2006 : 11:43:28
|
quote: Originally posted by floop
i dig all of his covers, but i think Hang On To Your Ego is the one exception of the covering being better than the o.g.
I played that HOTYE ep for my one local Frank convert and he asked how the Hang single did. Dropped like a stone I said and we nodded. He's a long-suffering Mike Oldfield man.
|
|
|
speedy_m
= Frankofile =
Canada
3581 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2006 : 12:30:27
|
quote: Originally posted by Sam
Looking forward to hearing that burnt rock n roll tune.
Yes FB picks great covers, really love "somethings i can't get used to". Really energetic song. Plus "do nothing" is great kinda 3 piece punk vibe.
Hadn't thought of "evil hearted you" in ages, love that song. Not to mention "cecilia ann" which is a stormer.
I recently heard the original 666 by larry norman thanks to this kick ass site, and it blew me away. I listened to it 3 times in a row and love the arrangement and vocals. But i love the FB and C's version from their s/t album too.
The list of his great covers is long, ssmvg, breathless, black rider, duke of earl, better things etc etc
Where is the Larry Norman original available? I'd love to hear it.
maybe I'll kick it
|
|
|
Sam
= Cult of Ray =
Ireland
514 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2006 : 09:47:42
|
quote: Originally posted by speedy_m
quote: Originally posted by Sam
Looking forward to hearing that burnt rock n roll tune.
Yes FB picks great covers, really love "somethings i can't get used to". Really energetic song. Plus "do nothing" is great kinda 3 piece punk vibe.
Hadn't thought of "evil hearted you" in ages, love that song. Not to mention "cecilia ann" which is a stormer.
I recently heard the original 666 by larry norman thanks to this kick ass site, and it blew me away. I listened to it 3 times in a row and love the arrangement and vocals. But i love the FB and C's version from their s/t album too.
The list of his great covers is long, ssmvg, breathless, black rider, duke of earl, better things etc etc
Where is the Larry Norman original available? I'd love to hear it.
maybe I'll kick it
Hi Speedy,
Send me your mail address and i'll email it.
|
|
|
floop
= Wannabe Volunteer =
Mexico
15297 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2006 : 10:55:04
|
quote: Originally posted by Erebus
quote: Originally posted by floop
i dig all of his covers, but i think Hang On To Your Ego is the one exception of the covering being better than the o.g.
I played that HOTYE ep for my one local Frank convert and he asked how the Hang single did. Dropped like a stone I said and we nodded. He's a long-suffering Mike Oldfield man.
i remember when they were playing that on the radio when FB came out and wondering why in the fuck, of all the songs on that album, they would attempt to push that one.
at least that's what your mom said |
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2006 : 19:27:51
|
Has anybody here heard the original Song of the Shrimp? I often wonder how it compares to FB's version. I've read that even he hasn't heard Elvis' version, but took his from someone else's cover that he heard live. (Can't remember the name right now.)
When do I get my first bee, damnit? |
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2006 : 14:29:11
|
quote: Originally posted by coastline
Has anybody here heard the original Song of the Shrimp? I often wonder how it compares to FB's version. I've read that even he hasn't heard Elvis' version, but took his from someone else's cover that he heard live. (Can't remember the name right now.)
When do I get my first bee, damnit?
Townes Van Zant
-Brian - http://bvsrant.blogspot.com |
|
|
FranknWeezer
= Cult of Ray =
USA
356 Posts |
Posted - 10/29/2006 : 21:25:25
|
A little off topic, but if you can get your hands on Doug Sahm's Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day, it's worth the listen. That's a case where the original was a good one. -FranknWeezer |
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 10/30/2006 : 05:07:16
|
I'll second that. And I really love the Bottle Rockets version, too. Both are available from iTunes.
When do I get my first bee, damnit? |
|
|
FranknWeezer
= Cult of Ray =
USA
356 Posts |
Posted - 11/01/2006 : 07:46:33
|
Re FB's version of That Burnt Out Rock 'n Roll, you can hear it as the second track here: http://www.woxy.com/music/loungeacts/ That entire acoustic performance is well worth the listen. -FranknWeezer |
|
|
freimanm
- FB Fan -
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2006 : 13:53:17
|
Haven't heard the Townes Van Zant cover of song of the shrimp, but our of curiosity downloaded Elvis' version when Honeycomb came out...It sounds like a hawaiian 'aloha' slow song, nothing like Frank's version...for a few moments I wasn't sure if I even downloaded the right song until I heard the words! |
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2006 : 15:02:03
|
Where did you find the Elvis version? I've still never heard it, and I'd love to.
But enough hijacking this thread ... my two cents on That Burnt Out Rock And Roll: Frank said on the woxy.com interview that he's been obsessed with this song since he first heard it two weeks ago. He said he recorded it in Houston, even without having really learned it yet. I've gotta say, I'm just as obsessed with it. What a gem. It's like a bookend to Foreigner's Juke Box Hero -- the once-young guitar hero is now at the end of the line. I think I'll download the original -- I'm so curious how bad it is.
I could not find my honeycomb. |
|
|
IceCream
= Quote Accumulator =
USA
1850 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2006 : 18:28:03
|
quote: Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
Brian and I were just talking last night about FB's knack for seeing what, to me, are completely buried elements of a song and polishing a tarnished rock artifact into a diamond. Anyone ever heard the original Evil Hearted You?
"Now you're officially my woman. Kudos. I can't say I don't envy you."
That's exactly the same way I feel about Johnny Cash's American Recordings. The original "Hurt" is insanely awful. Somehow, Cash made it into a good song. |
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 11/04/2006 : 18:51:06
|
Brian -- did you download the song from Smithsonian or order the disc? I'm having a hell of a time finding it on the download site (Smithsonian Global Sound), but I do see it on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings site.
EDIT: I was persistent, and found it. If anyone else wants to find the song to download it from Smithsonian Global Sound, here's the link: http://www.smithsonianglobalsound.org/trackdetail.aspx?itemid=12856. It'll cost you $1.24 after some sort of 25-cent "transaction fee."
Oh, and it's completely awful. It has to be some sort of joke the way he butchered it. The words are all there and all, but he's put all this terrible piano noise over top of them, and he's sung them as absolutely badly as he can. I have NO IDEA how Frank Black found what he found in it.
I could not find my honeycomb. |
Edited by - coastline on 11/06/2006 19:33:14 |
|
|
freimanm
- FB Fan -
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2006 : 13:46:14
|
I'd be glad to send whoever wants it Elvis' 'Song of the Shrimp'...I signed up for an account at yousendit but don't know how to post files to a website like people have been doing (it seems to need me to plug in a particular email address?)
If anyone wants to find it themselves I downloaded it from Limewire and I believe it is on the Girls! Girls! Girls! soundtrack/album |
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 11/07/2006 : 14:12:08
|
Sendspace is easier -- and, for a lot of reasons, better. Just go to sendspace.com, type in your e-mail address and, say, mine, choose the file you want to send, and hit "Upload File." When the upload is finished, you'll get an e-mail with a link to download the file, and so will I.
Technically, though, sending Elvis' songs is illegal. But you probably knew that.
I could not find my honeycomb. |
|
|
The Holiday Son
= Quote Accumulator =
France
2010 Posts |
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
|
johnnycash
- FB Fan -
1 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 21:23:02
|
I never thought I had a a "turd" of a performance. I DID think I had the limitations of Folkways' Records insistence on raw recordings and my own insistence that I was a songwriter and not a performer. Such is the curse (and blessing) of being on the same label as "Touch Typing For Beginners," "Hopi War Dances," and "Woody Guthrie and Sonny Terry Live."
Nonetheless, I think Frank Black's cover of my "Burnt Out Rock And Roll" is absolutely amazing. He understood where I was going with the song and he made it his own. He recognized the pain of the object of the song as well as my own pain and he pours himself into it.
Frank took my raw poetry…at best “demo” Smithsonian/Folkways vinyl … and polished it as a gut-twisting brilliant performance.
My sincere thanks to Frank Black and all of his friends/fans for understanding the song after all of these years. It is all a writer could ever ask.
Gary Green
|
|
|
coastline
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
3111 Posts |
Posted - 11/30/2006 : 21:57:51
|
Yowsers. You never know who's going to show up on this board. Gary Green, of all people! And using Johnny Cash's name for a handle. I love it.
Gary, thanks for your song. For us hardcore Frank Black fans, this has been one of the highlights of his recent work. There was a thread somewhere on the frankblack.net forum that discussed what makes a song a classic. I don't think we ever came to a consensus about how to define a classic, but I think this song ought to end up being one.
I could not find my honeycomb. |
|
|
Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 05:33:27
|
Heh, oops, Brian. :) I don't think he meant to imply you were unskilled, just that the recording itself wasn't so polished.
Thanks for stopping by, Gary, and for writing one of my favourite of the new songs that FB is playing these days. As Coastline said, this is definitely going to be a classic.
"Now you're officially my woman. Kudos. I can't say I don't envy you." |
|
|
Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-
USA
5155 Posts |
Posted - 12/01/2006 : 07:29:35
|
Sorry Mr. Green, while reading my comments they were perhaps a bit harsh. I was just marveling at how different the two versions were, and how i had a hard time hearing from your original where FB found certain chord changes/melodic pieces because the melody and chord structure in your version appear to be almost meterless. My apologies if my criticisms were insensitive.
-Brian - http://bvsrant.blogspot.com |
|
|
Topic |
|